PADRES’ ORTEGA WORTHY OF HALL CALL, WHETHER NOW OR IN THE FUTURE

Eduardo Ortega has had hundreds of thousands of fans throughout his sportscasting career, but none was bigger than Amparo Diaz. Ortega’s name alone was guaranteed to make her glow.

As the Padres’ Spanish-language play-by-play announcer for the past 27 years, Ortega was behind the mic for Tony Gwynn’s 3,000th hit, Randy Johnson’s 4,000th strikeout, and Barry Bonds’ 755th home run.

Unfortunately, Diaz never heard any of those calls. She was deaf.

She was also Ortega’s mother.

Diaz died in Tijuana two Novembers ago after years of suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Ortega, a Chula Vista resident, had been spending most of his free time across the border caring for the most treasured woman in his life.

And though he was prepared for her death, Ortega had to feel a certain sense of helplessness when Diaz finally passed. Most of the time, after all, he’s bringing everything he sees to life.

“He’s the best ever, in my opinion,” said Juan Avila, Ortega’s broadcasting partner with the Padres. “Besides the play-by-play action, he’s a great storyteller. He has the perfect style for a broadcaster.”

Avila isn’t alone in his acclaim.

Last week, it was announced that Ortega was one of 10 broadcasters selected as finalists for the Ford C. Frick Award — winners of which earn entrance into the Baseball Hall of Fame. It was the second time the 50-year-old was nominated for the honor, and if you take a straw poll of his peers, it’s just a matter of time before he crosses the Cooperstown turnstile.

You don’t have to speak a lick of Español to see how Ortega’s energy adds about 10 feet to every Padres’ home run ball. And you don’t have to speak much Spanish to savor some of his words.

Famous for his nicknames, Ortega has created monikers embraced by bilingual and English-only Padres players. Gwynn was simply “Campeón” (champion). Trevor Hoffman was “Trevor de la suerte” (lucky charm). Mike Cameron was “El hombre araña (Spiderman), and current Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera is “Mercurio” (mercury) — a testament to his flashy style.

Ortega is also renowned for the suspense he creates heading into the ninth innings of close games, as well as the phrase “en la calle!” (to the street!) accompanying Padres home runs. And while he has had 30 years of professional experience to refine his skills, he began honing his craft long before receiving a paycheck.

“When I was a kid playing baseball with my older brothers, I wasn’t very good,” said Ortega, who grew up in Tijuana. “I would get my one at-bat and then I would spend the rest of the game announcing.”

Turns out he’d be spending the rest of his life announcing. Ortega earned a gig calling minor league games in Mexico at 20, and got a job with the Padres at 24. He has since carved out a legacy with his larynx on par with the most revered Spanish-language broadcasters.

Working with ESPN Deportes in the postseason, Ortega is coming up on his 20th World Series. He has also called the All-Star Game and the World Baseball Classic, giving him what he considers to be the “triple crown” of baseball broadcasting.